“`Martin Landau was a stellar character actor, who thrived on screen and in television. He’s best remembered for his three-year stint on Mission: Impossible; and his Oscar-winning performance as Bela Lugosi in Ed Wood. A role he regretted not playing; the pointy-eared Spock on Star Trek, which he turned down. He was also wed to actress Barbara Bain for 35 years.

“`Landau had studied drawing at Pratt Institute in Brooklyn, and worked as a New York Daily News cartoonist, before he switching careers. In 1955, Landau was among hundreds who applied to study at the prestigious Actors Studio, and one of two picked. The other… Steve McQueen. MARTIN LANDAU –>

“`His litany of fine cinematic roles include North By Northwest, Pork Chop Hill, Cleopatra, Nevada Smith, The Greatest Story Ever Told; and after his success on television, Meteor, and two Oscar nods for performances in Tucker: The Man and His Dream and Crimes and Misdemeanors. When Tim Burton cast Martin as Lugosi, he was clearly at the top of his craft, carrying home a statuette, while up against Paul Scofield in Quiz Show, Samuel L. Jackson in Pulp Fiction, Gary Sinise – Forrest Gump, and Chazz Palminteri – Bullets Over Broadway. Encouraged by his mentor, Lee Strasberg, Landau decided to teach acting. Noted thespians he coached included Jack Nicholson and Anjelica Huston.

“`He also guest-starred in television shows, such as Gunsmoke, Wagon Train, Bonanza, The Twilight Zone, The Rifleman, The Outer Limits, The Big Valley, Get Smart, The Alfred Hitchcock Hour, Columbo, Murder She Wrote, and The Simpsons.

“`Martin Landau was 89.

===========================================

“`George A. Romero was the creator of the modern zombie-genre of films, producing the low-budget, Night of the Living Dead. A decade later, Dawn of the Dead cemented his legacy. He also produced the horror schlock — Creepshow. Romero’s influence could be seen across decades of American culture, from the cinematic work of John Carpenter; writings of Stephen King, and vast success of Silence of the Lambs. Ironically, his favorite Hitchcock production was not Psycho; it was North by Northwest, a film that featured a young Martin Landau as a metro-sexual villain.

GEORGE A ROMERO

“`George A Romero was 77. If he comes back to life, it may be just a desire for human flesh.

Until next time> “never forget”

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This entry was posted on Sunday, July 16th, 2017 at 9:12 pm and is filed under Blog by Manny Pacheco.
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